Page 5 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

And Samuel was my friend. Thoughts about his daughter were simply off-limits. No exceptions.

But as we drove, an aching throb worked through my arms as I considered how viable it would be to give her a hug and comfort her after the attack. To show her that she was safe and provide somewhere for her to cuddle and process.

It was a dangerous thought and I shoved it away as soon as it crept up, but my arms continued to ache as if my body were ready to act on its own.

“Where are we?” Kitty asked suddenly, thankfully dragging me from my thoughts.

“We’re on the edge of town,” I informed her. “Don’t worry. The safe house is just around the next bend.”

3

KITTY

The car came to a stop outside a small, single-story house at the end of a dirt track. I’d been to safe houses in the past when other dangers had crept up, but never one like this. Thinking back, I was sure I knew the location of all the safe houses, but this one was outside of town on the edge of the forest.

Rook turned off the car and climbed out.

I almost followed, but something held me back for a few minutes. That man in the store had been so filled with hate. He looked at me and he saw my father, saw the reason his business was crumbling. We were the reason the water was dirty and the fish were dying off. I felt his pain, and yet my empathy meant nothing to him. He only saw a tool to get my father to listen.

If only the people of this town knew just how hard I was fighting for them.

And Rook? His attack played on a loop in my mind. He’d appeared in a flash and floored that man with one punch, then scooped me up like I weighed nothing and ran off with me.

It was like an old school fantasy, and I’d be lying if I said my heart hadn’t fluttered at his show of strength. Rook was a forbidden fruit, and now we were alone together in the forest.

Did I fall asleep in the car? Is this just some strange dream?

Rook waited by the door, watching me in the car, and I was tempted to stay here until he came to carry me out. But being alone in the car created a strange itch up my spine, and I wanted to be behind closed doors, safe from anyone else who might want to get revenge on my father through me.

So, with a deep breath, I climbed out of the car and followed.

“This is the safe house?”

“Mmmhmm.” Rook unlocked the door and held it open for me.

“I’ve been to all of the safe houses before. My Dad showed them to me so I would know where to run if I got caught alone. He never showed me this one.”

Inside, the hall’s wallpaper was a sickly pale yellow with the color bleeding into the white ceiling above. A musty scent filled my lungs as I slowly walked in deeper.

“Safe houses change,” Rook explained, closing the door behind us. He slid the deadbolt into place, and the thunk of metal against metal was oddly soothing. “Anything that’s a routine for too long is a danger, so new ones are added, old ones are discarded.”

“And this one?” Through a wooden door in the lounge was an open plan kitchen with a single door leading out to the back. “I didn’t think my father knew of anything smaller than an apartment.”

“I chose this one.”

I stopped in the kitchen and turned to face him. “You chose this?”

“When he showed me the current safe locations, I noticed they were all the same. Apartments dotted around town. He didn’t seem to grasp that if someone paid enough attention, these safe places wouldn’t stay safe for long.”

“So you chose a run-down little house in the middle of nowhere?”

Rook eyed me for a moment in silence. “Do you feel safe?”

I considered it, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Then it’s working.”

“You make me feel safe,” I clarified. “We can’t say it’s this place.”

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